I became interested in Bradford County history at the age of 10 on a church youth group camping trip at the former lumbering town of Laquin, located in southern Bradford County. Laquin is filled with ruins of the old lumber town that once boomed in that area. I’ll have to admit, I brought home several old pieces of metal that were found around the valley, and still have them today. The most recognizable piece is a railroad spike from the S.&N.Y. Railroad that had passed through Laquin. When I arrived home, I was so excited that such a place actually existed right here in our area that I began a scrapbook about Laquin. It’s humorous to look at this scrapbook today but it certainly marked the beginning of a life of collecting and preserving local history.
Shortly after the Laquin trip, I learned that my ancestors, the Holcombs, were the first settlers of LeRoy in 1794. Couple this information with the fact that I lived next to a very old cemetery while growing up, and you have the ingredients of a well-grounded interest in the history of my home - LeRoy Township.
While growing up, I often thought that it would be great to have a museum in LeRoy. Stories were often told of how this person or that person had collected a great deal of history, only to have it destroyed by a negligent family member upon their death. I remember thinking, “The only way to permanently save our history is to have a museum. The only problem was that, although LeRoy had a great deal of history to be told, it now had a population of about 600 people. “We couldn’t do such a thing in our town!,” I said, “It’s too small!” Little did I know what the years ahead would bring!
Throughout high school I often did local history displays both in school and in the community. These always went over very well with people, and it encouraged me to do more. Whenever we were required to give a speech in high school, and the topic was up to us, I always chose local history.
While still in high school, I began writing a column for the Canton Independent-Sentinel, entitled Looking Back. This was also very popular, and I often received positive comments from readers on them. “Looking back” at the Looking Back column, I now see many gramatical errors, and a little misinformation here and there. But, it was another step in propelling me forward to the future.
I graduated from high school and while trying to decide what the next step in my life would be, I continued my hobby of local history. That summer I heard that the local Open Hand Grange was merging with another local grange. This would leave the building empty. It was well known that the grange building was not in good shape, and comments were heard about the possibility of the grange being demolished. I thought, “Could this be a chance to actually carry through with that museum idea I’ve had all these years?”
I sent letters to former members of the Open Hand Grange #153 and received one letter in return that seemed hopeful. A flurry of letter-writing followed in which I asked questions of about everyone I thought could provide insight on how this project could get off the ground. To make a long story short, the LeRoy Heritage Museum was formed in 2001 and we soon acquired the former grange building which would be our future home.
Over the next seven years, I was to learn first hand what it takes to start a volunteer based non-profit organization. I spent every hour of my free time learning grant writing, organizing and leading our museum board of directors through incorporation, the creation of bylaws, IRS 501(c)(3) paperwork, construction contracts, architectural plans, state and federal grant requirements, local fundraising efforts, and the ongoing process of collecting the history that was quickly disappearing. I also began yearly walking tours on Barclay Mountain that continue to be popular events each year.
In the midst of this work, I became a board trustee at the Bradford County Historical Society in the Spring of 2004. I remained in this position over the next three years and during that time my greatest contribution was the transition of the library computers from old outdated equipment to new state-of-the-art equipment. Most important, however, was the transition of our museum inventory software to the new computers, allowing for easier use for staff and board members.
In the Spring of 2007, after a need for a full time managing curator became apparent and after a great deal of planning on the part of the board of trustees, I was given the opportunity to transition from being a volunteer board member to being an employee. On June 26, 2007, I began doing what I have loved doing for over 15 years - preserving Bradford County history.
